Walleye Lakes in North Dakota

Found in 97 North Dakota lakes · 699 in Wisconsin · 44 in Michigan

Walleye is one of the headline game-fish species in North Dakota — the kind of catch that anchors fishing trips, cabin weekends, and the regional fishing economy. 840 lakes in our dataset have documented Walleye. Walleye is widely distributed: 699 lakes in Wisconsin, 97 in North Dakota, and 44 in Michigan. That breadth means anglers across most of the coverage area can find a documented Walleye lake within a reasonable drive.

Game-fish presence on a North Dakota lake also signals enough water-quality stability to support the prey species the game fish depend on — perch, alewife, ciscoes — which themselves require reasonably oxygenated, clear water. On the LakeGrade rubric, the cleanest Walleye lakes tend to also be the highest-graded — the same water-clarity and nutrient conditions that support the species also produce the higher grades.

North Dakota Lakes

Avg. Grade

Grade A Lakes

Counties

Best Walleye Lakes in North Dakota

Rank	Lake	County	Grade	Clarity	Depth
1	Wood Lake	Benson	A	-	26.2 ft
2	Free Peoples Lake	Benson	A	-	54 ft
3	Epping-Springbrook Dam-Littoral Lake	Williams	A	-	25.4 ft
4	Jarvis Beach Lake	Rolette	A	-	26.3 ft
5	Spiritwood Lake	Stutsman	A	31 ft	54.7 ft
6	Lake Upsilon	Rolette	A	11.2 ft	25 ft
7	Twin Lakes	LaMoure	A	14.1 ft	40.3 ft
8	Round Lake	McHenry	A	12.1 ft	16.7 ft
9	Kota Ray Dam Lake	Williams	B	7.7 ft	26.2 ft
10	Whitman Dam Lake	Nelson	B	12 ft	20.8 ft
11	Patterson Lake	Stark	B	-	24.8 ft
12	Lake Ashtabula	Barnes	B	3.4 ft	42.8 ft
13	Lake Ashtabula	Barnes	B	6.6 ft	42.8 ft
14	Mt Carmel Dam Lake	Cavalier	B	7.9 ft	31.2 ft
15	Gordon Center Lake	Rolette	B	8.2 ft	28.3 ft
16	Wheaton Lake	Rolette	B	8.5 ft	25.6 ft
17	Lake Darling	Renville	B	4.9 ft	28.7 ft
18	Lake Darling	Renville	B	9.8 ft	28.7 ft
19	Clark Lake	Stutsman	B	10 ft	21.9 ft
20	Northgate Dam Lake	Burke	B	9.4 ft	23.6 ft
21	Jarvis Lake Center	Rolette	B	7.7 ft	26.3 ft
22	Jamestown Reservoir	Stutsman	B	7.2 ft	36.2 ft
23	Baukol-Noonan Dam Lake	Divide	B	9.7 ft	28 ft
24	North Lemmon Lake	Adams	B	5.7 ft	31.4 ft
25	Blacktail Dam Lake	Williams	B	7.2 ft	36.3 ft
26	Lake Williams	Kidder	B	4.7 ft	30.5 ft
27	Homme Dam Lake	Walsh	B	5.7 ft	29.3 ft
28	Lake Audubon	McLean	B	4.7 ft	59.4 ft
29	Carlson-Tande Dam Lake	Griggs	C	5.6 ft	23 ft
30	Fordville Dam Lake	Grand Forks	C	4.4 ft	29.9 ft
31	Mooreton Pond	Richland	C	3 ft	19.5 ft
32	Moon Lake	Barnes	C	4.4 ft	54.3 ft
33	Red Willow Lake	Griggs	C	6.4 ft	23.5 ft
34	Kulm-Edgeley Dam Lake	LaMoure	C	9 ft	27.4 ft
35	Lake Metigoshe	Bottineau	C	5.4 ft	23.3 ft
36	Short Creek Dam Lake	Burke	C	3.8 ft	27.6 ft
37	Hurdsfield-Tuffy Lake	Wells	C	9.5 ft	27.1 ft
38	Lake Tschida	Grant	C	5.1 ft	57 ft
39	Lake Lamoure	LaMoure	C	8 ft	31.4 ft
40	Lake Tschida	Grant	C	5.2 ft	57 ft
41	Buffalo Lodge Lake	McHenry	C	3 ft	12.2 ft
42	Bader Lake	Stutsman	C	1.3 ft	20.1 ft
43	White Earth Dam Lake	Mountrail	C	3 ft	19.5 ft
44	Trenton Lake	Williams	C	1.5 ft	8.1 ft
45	Clearwater Lake	Mountrail	C	2.1 ft	16.5 ft
46	Hiddenwood Lake	Ward	C	3.1 ft	17.9 ft
47	Frettum Dam Lake	Kidder	C	2.6 ft	29.9 ft
48	Wheaton Beach Lake	Rolette	C	6.9 ft	25.6 ft
49	Lake Tobiason	Steele	C	8.1 ft	14.7 ft
50	Dion Lake	Rolette	C	8.5 ft	20.1 ft

Showing top 50 of 97 lakes.

Frequently Asked Questions

How many North Dakota lakes have walleye?

Walleye are found in 97 lakes in North Dakota. The average water quality grade of these lakes is C (Fair).

What are the best walleye lakes in North Dakota?

The best walleye lakes in North Dakota by water quality are Wood Lake, Free Peoples Lake, Epping-Springbrook Dam-Littoral Lake, Jarvis Beach Lake, Spiritwood Lake.

Source: EPA National Aquatic Resource Surveys, 2026.